The Forgotten Sister
by joylesswonder52
Summary: Young Christina Cunningham has had an interesting life. The youngest of the Cunningham clan, she was always the fiesty sister with a knack for getting into trouble. Now four years since she ranaway, she turns up on Max's doorstep..But what happened?
1. Returning To The Past

The Forgotten Sister

Chapter 1

Returning To The Past

Rating - T

Disclaimer - I do not own Hollyoaks or any of it's characters except OCs and Ideas

**The Cunningham Family**

**Gordon m. Angela **

**Children: Maxwell Robert Cunningham - b. 1981**

**Dawn Sarah Cunningham - b. 1978**

**Cindy Rebecca Cunningham - b. 1983**

**Jude Patricia Cunningham - b. 1984**

**Christina Laura Cunningham - b. 1986**

Christina Cunningham was never the one that anyone really associated when they talked about the Cunningham Family...

She was always in the background...

But when she hit the age of thirteen, she really began to make herself known...

Now returning to Hollyoaks after four years, Christy has some catching up to do...

But why did she leave?

This is her story.

**Present Day**

**December 2006**

**Hollyoaks Village**

Christina Cunningham was never the best driver on the road and she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the sign for 'Hollyoaks'. She was amazed that she managed to drive from Manchester Airport to Hollyoaks in one piece. The car came to a halt at the traffic lights and Christina turned her head to the back of the car...

In the back of the car, was a little girl in a booster seat, asleep. She was quite a cute little girl, with almost blonde hair in bunches and dungarees. Christina smiled at the little girl and turned back to face the traffic lights. She stared at herself in the mirror and sighed...

Christina was quite an attractive girl and had always been since she was a teenager. She had brown hair, which looked slightly auburn, a trait from her mother, and had blue eyes. The traffic light changed from red to green and Christina drove on...

It had been four years since she had last been in Hollyoaks. Now she was twenty-one, she felt it was time to go back...

To settle unfinished business...

She saw the turn-off for Hollyoaks and she drove through and she saw the sign: 'Welcome to Hollyoaks'...

She looked around as she drove through into her childhood village...She drove up to the Dog In The Pond pub and parked the car in one of the free spaces. She stopped and put her head in her hands, exhausted. The little girl woke up in the back and looked up at Christina.

"Mommy?" asked the voice of the little girl. She had quite a distinct American accent.

Christina turned around and looked at her daughter. She looked sparkly and full of energy, seeing as they had both been on a 16 hour flight from Los Angeles to Manchester...

"Are we here yet?" she asked.

Christina nodded. "Yes, pickle. We're here now..."

The little girl grinned. "Am I gonna meet Uncle Max?"

Christina nodded again. "Yes, sweetie..."

Christina opened the car door, sleepily and got out. She looked around and instantly noticed that the Dog was now in a Mock Tudor Style with a blue sign...The outside was decorated with Christmas lights and looked very pretty...

She sighed and opened the car door and unbuckled her daughter out of her car seat. The little reached out for Christina and Christina carried her out carefully and stood her up on the floor. The little girl was quite short for a 4 year old, but she was very clever for her age. She was clutching a brown teddy bear which Christina had bought at the airport for her, to stop her from crying...

The little girl started to wander around, while Christina was busy hunting for her handbag in the front. Christina immediately noticed that she was gone and went into panic mode. She quickly ran to see where she had gone and found her standing outside of the pub...

"Raegan!" called Christina. She walked over to her daughter and came down to her level. "Don't you ever run away from Mommy! Understood?"

Raegan nodded and hugged Christina. "Sorry, mommy..."

Christina sighed and hugged her little girl. She did feel quite tired and grouchy and felt bad for snapping at her daughter...

"Come on...I'm gonna show you your Grandad's shop!" smiled Christina, thinking about her dad...

Raegan smiled and she held onto Christina's hand and they started to walk back to the car. Christina grabbed her keys and locked the car...

_'I can get the luggage later...' _thought Christina to herself...

She held onto her daughter's hand, while Raegan stomped her feet hard to make her trainers light up. She looked around at the main street and realised that it had changed quite a bit in four years...

She stared at Tony's restaurant and noticed the change in name... She peered inside and saw it was quite modern...

Next door, was the 'Drive 'n' Buy'... Gordon Cunningham's pride and joy...Christina stared up at it, thinking about the time when Gordon had first bought it...

"Here it is, baby..." smiled Christina. "This is the shop that your Grandad owned...He gave it to your Uncle Max..."

Raegan stared up at the shop in front of her. "Is Grandad in heaven, Mommy?" asked Raegan, looking up at Christina.

Christina sighed. "Yes, sweetie...Now, shall we go in?"

Raegan smiled and nodded. Christina pushed open the door and looked around and noticed the shop had moved around a bit...

Raegan stared up in excitement and looked at the sweets eagerly...

Christina stood and felt her heart beat faster than ever. She hadn't seen Max in four years and now she had turned up unexpectedly without a word...

_'He's gonna be angry...I just know it...I wonder how Tom is? He was so tiny when I last saw him...I wonder if he still lives in that tiny flat...'_

A man walked through the back door and smiled at Christina. He was quite a middle-aged man and was wearing a navy T-shirt and jeans...Christina gave a small smile and stared at the man, who she had never seen in her life...

_'Wow...Max must have hired staff...'_

"Hello. Can I help you?" smiled the man and he gave a wave to Raegan, who stared up at him.

"Hi..." smiled Christina. "Is my brother in?"

The man looked at Christina confused. "Your brother? Do you mean Gilly?"

Christina stared back at the man, equally confused. "Umm no...I mean, Max Cunningham? He owns this shop, does he not?"

The man laughed. "Oh, Max! I guess you haven't been here for a long while...Max sold the shop to me several months back. I'm Neville Ashworth, the owner..."

Christina stared back at Neville in shock. "Oh..."

_'Max promised Dad he would never sell the shop...I can't believe he has done this...This shop meant everything to Dad!'_

Christina felt a slight tug on her jeans and saw her daughter's puzzled face.

"Is that Uncle Max, Mommy?" whispered Raegan, quietly. Tiredness was already settling in and she was pulling on one of her bunches...

"No, sweetie...I don't know where Uncle Max is..." replied Christina, quietly.

Christina smiled at Neville. "Does Max still live in the village?"

Neville nodded. "Yeah he does...He owns The Loft now, so you could try The Loft if you wanted to see him..."

_'He swapped this for that place?! The Loft?!'_

Christina sighed. "Thanks for your help...Come on, Raegan..."

Raegan held onto Christina's hand and they walked out of the shop and stared out at the street.

Christina felt angry inside... She looked at Il Gnosh next door...

Christina stared at the cafe. "Come on, sweetie...We're going into here to see if we can find Max..."

Raegan gave a small yawn and nodded as she walked with Christina up to Il Gnosh.

Christina pulled the door open and she looked around and saw the place was pretty busy... She walked up to the bar and saw no-one was there. Raegan was now cuddling her teddy...

A man in a white chef's suit walked out and came up to the bar. Christina stared at the man, who was busy getting something from under the bar...

"Right..." said the man, from under the bar. "How can I help you?"

He appeared from underneath the bar and gave a smile to Christina. Then suddenly, Christina recognised who it was...His hair had got a little longer, but it was still him...The man took a double take and stared back at Christina...

"Tony?" asked Christina, smiling at him.

Tony stared back at Christina and smiled. "No...It can't be...Christy?!"

Christina nodded and smiled back at Tony. Tony stood with his mouth open and smiled. He looked at her up and down...

"Oh my god, you've changed! Wow! You look amazing!" smiled Tony, "I mean, not that you weren't before..."

Christina smiled. Tony looked down at Raegan holding Christina's hand and smiled at Raegan.

"Who's this little one?" Tony said, smiling.

"This is my daughter, Raegan..." said Christy, smiling.

Tony looked up at Christy and then looked back at Raegan. "No...You had a daughter?"

Christy nodded. "She's four now, aren't you baby?"

Raegan nodded and started to suck her thumb.

Christy sighed. "I'm looking for Max...I wanted to surprise him, but then I have only just found out that he's sold the shop..."

Tony made a small 'o' and then looked back at Christy. "Oh yeah...He's living above The Loft now in a flat..."

Christy smiled. "Thanks...I will go 'round and see him...Is Mandy in actually? I may as well kill two birds with one stone, while I'm here..."

Tony looked at Christy solemnly and then looked down at the floor. "Ummm...she's...not...here..."

Christy looked at Tony, confused. "Oh right...When will she be back?"

Tony looked down at the floor.

"So, have you only just come back from Spain?" asked Tony, changing the subject.

Christy shook her head. "Oh, I didn't go to Spain...I've just come back from LA...I've been living there for four years..."

Tony looked surprised again. "Oh, 'cause I thought you went to go and live with Cindy and Jude..."

Christy shook her head. "Nope. I mean, I have visited them, but I didn't live with them..."

Tony smiled at Christy. "Do you want something to eat or anything? You must be starving!"

Christy smiled and shook her head. "Nah, I'm okay thanks...I better find Max though...But it's been great to see you! I will have to see Mandy later..."

Tony nodded and his smile faded away. "Yeah...It's good to see you after all these years..."

Christy smiled. "I'll see you around...Say goodbye, Raegan!"

Raegan waved her hand at Tony and Tony waved back.

"Bye!" smiled Christy and she took Raegan and lead her out of the door...

And on the way, Christy's mind was on the Christmas that the Cunningham family had before everything changed...

_**Christmas Day 1997**_

_**The Cunningham Household**_

It was Christmas Day and 11 year old Christy Cunningham was dancing around in the kitchen in her new black sparkly dress, tapping her feet in her new patent black shoes. Angela Cunningham was putting the leftovers of the Christmas Pudding away in the fridge, while Gordon was reading the newspaper. 16 year old Max was still in a sleepy state of mind and hadn't really woken up yet...

15 year old Jude was listening to a new _Oasis _CD, while 14 year old Cindy was cradling a new make-up case with lipsticks and eye shadows inside it...

The mood was quite somber due to Dawn's degrading health, but they were all trying to keep their spirits up...

Christy however was oblivious to Dawn's health and thought it was just another Christmas day, full of presents and excitement...

She had her hair curled and was dancing around, singing to herself, while her family were busy doing other things...

She skipped off into the other room, singing _'Too Much' _by _The Spice Girls_ and started twirling around her hair around her finger. She skipped into the living area where the Christmas Tree twinkled with its lights... She smiled at the fairy on top of the tree and she walked up to the Christmas tree. Underneath the tree were some presents for Dawn, but Jambo had taken her out for the day, so she would be back to have them later...

"Hello Fairy!" grinned Christy. She walked closer up to the tree and she stood on her tip-toes. "This year is gonna be the greatest! Dawn is gonna get better and Max is going to pass all of his A-Level thingys and I will hopefully get the lead in the school play!!"

Suddenly there was a scream from the kitchen and it sounded like someone was crying...,

Christy frowned and she started to make her way back into the kitchen...

She walked away from the Christmas Tree and made her way back to the kitchen, with it's scent of turkey and custard...

She opened the door and saw her mum, crying with the phone in her hand and Cindy crying in Max's arms and Jude looked really upset. Gordon was putting his coat on and looked really upset. They all saw Christy walk in the room and they all stared at her, looking worried...

Mr. C walked over to his youngest daughter and bent down to her level. Christy looked at him, puzzled and confused...

Mr. C put his arms on Christy's shoulders. "Christy...Something has happened to Dawn..."

That was the moment that Christy's world fell to pieces...

An old Christy died...

...And a new one was born...

* * *

Christy and Raegan walked up and they finally made it to The Loft nightclub. Christy looked up at it again and memories of her teenage years at the nightclub came flooding back to her...

"Where are we?" asked Raegan, rubbing her eyes.

"We are going to see Uncle Max, now..." said Christy, sighing.

They walked up to the entrance to the flat of the Loft and surprisingly, the main door was open. Christy held onto Raegan's hand and they started making their way up the stairs. Raegan gripped onto Christy's hand tight...

Christy felt nerves kick and she felt like turning back and running away...

_'Come on, Christy!...You can do this...You haven't seen your brother in over four years and you need to see him...'_

She appeared at the door of Max's flat and felt her heart thump in her chest. She brushed her hair out of her face and she walked slowly up to the door...

She looked at Raegan and then she knocked on the door, a lump growing in her throat...

The door opened and a small boy answered with brown hair which looked kinda curly. He had brown eyes and was wearing a school uniform. He looked older than Raegan, but was still quite short. Christy stared at the boy and it hit her over who it was...

"Oh my god..." said Christy quietly. She knelt down to the little boy's level and smiled at him. "Are you Tom?"

The little boy nodded. Christy smiled at him and she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"You don't remember me, do you?" asked Christy, smiling at him.

Tom shook his head and he stared at Raegan, who was cuddling her teddy.

"Who is it, Tom?" came a familiar voice.

Tom stood staring at Christy and Raegan.

Then suddenly, a man appeared at the door and opened the door fully to see who was outside...

Christy stood up tall and stared at the man who answered the door...

Her heart began to race...

The man suddenly stared at Christy in shock and they both looked at each other...

"Christy?"

**END OF CHAPTER 1**

**A/N: Hope you like my first chapter on this story! Its just something that I've cooked together over the past couple of days...I'm not sure if the birth years for the Cunningham children are correct and I've just made the middle names up!!**

**Please review if you would like me to continue with this story...** xxxx


	2. Now And Then

The Forgotten Sister

Chapter 2

Now And Then

Disclaimer - I do not own Hollyoaks or any of it's characters except OCs and Ideas

**Christy**

**Present Day**

_And then he opened the door and my heart felt like it had jumped into my throat. He looked so different now to when I last saw him four years ago. I was speechless. _

_...I literally couldn't speak. I didn't think I'd ever come back here again, to this place and I did not bank on ever seeing him again either, but there he was. _

_My brother standing in the doorway..._

"Max?" I choked out, like I was being strangled. "Is that you?"

_I felt like one of those awful characters in a bad soap drama when they find a long-lost relative and start crying and hug each other..._

_Max looked stunned. His face reminded me of a deer caught in headlights. Tom was still staring at me. My god, Tom...He's grown so big now..._

_Max had changed too. He had got rid of that awful curly mop he used to have, thank Christ. His hair was neat now. And he looked taller and more muscular, if I may say so myself._

_Roo looked confused. Well, life is confusing to a four-year-old anyway..._

_What do I do? Do I hug him? Shake his hand? Wave?_

_Suddenly, Max drags me into his arms and he hugs me. I let out a sigh of relief as he hugs me tightly. My god... I never banked on this being so emotional.I expected Max to shout and demand where I had been for the past four years. But he didn't. _

"I can't believe its you..." whispered Max, "I thought you were dead..."

_Now I really wanted to cry. Whoever said running away from your problems does help is a liar. Sure, I'm better off now than I used to be, but for my family to think I was dead. I never thought about the consequences..._

_He pulled away from the hug and he studies me, up and down. Yeah, I was different too. Same red hair though. But I was taller now. Almost as tall as Max. And curvier - my boyish figure died when I became pregnant. Still, on the plus side, I grew a bust, which I never thought I'd get. I'd thought I'd be cursed as the Girl With The Ironing Board Chest, but anyways..._

"I can't believe it's you!" stammered Max. "Of all the people to turn up on my doorstep..."

_He looks down and spots Raegan. Ah. Now this is where I knew they'd be problems. He doesn't know who she is..._

"And whose this?" says Max, looking down at Raegan.

"I'm Roo..." says Raegan, proudly.

_I can feel sweat beads trickling down my back. Perhaps I should have phoned him first...My problem is, I'm an action person - not a big thinking person. I'd thought I'd stroll back, with Raegan, la la la la la...But now, I'm in trouble. What do I say? Hey, Max! You have a niece! Surprise!..._

"Hello...Roo..." says Max and he shakes her hand. "Nice to meet you..."

_He looks up at me for an explanation. Shit. He hasn't worked it out then. Damn._

"This is Raegan..." I smile, nervously. "My daughter...And your niece..."

_Oh, now, you know one of those Kodak moments where you just wish you could take a picture of someone's face? Well, that's not one of those moments. He was even more stunned. And bewildered now. If this was a picture, the photo name would be called 'AWKWARD'..._

"Oh..." Max manages to muster out. "Well...this is...a surprise...A big surprise..."

_Oh fuck. Maybe I should have sent him a postcard first..._

"Come in..." Max says and he opens the door wider for us to go inside.

_I ushered Roo inside and I looked around. Wow. It was modern...and tidy. There were Pop Art Paintings on the wall and the living area was neat and tidy. The kitchen looked nice and very...stainless steel. I was half-expecting bachelor shag pad with crude leopard print rugs, a light dimmer and a rotating bed...I could see Roo's face light up when she saw the pop-up tent and toy boxes in the corner of the room. It was like kid heaven._

_I couldn't help but notice the massive widescreen TV and the comfy sofas. I walked further into the room and I couldn't help but feel happy. Max had done well for himself. Better than I have done, I suppose..._

"Would you like a drink?" asked Max, who was now standing by the fridge.

"Yes, please..." I said, like an innocent school-girl.

_I sat myself down on the sofa and felt like sprawling out on it's nice cushions. It was so nice to sit on something soft after sitting on a hard plane seat and a driver's seat for god knows how long...Roo had gone to the corner of the room and started playing with the toys. She was at home already. I could see Tom eyeing Roo up, as she played with his toys. I looked at Tom. He was four the last time I saw him. So tiny. I smiled at him and he looked at me as if I was the Loch Ness Monster... Still, I couldn't blame him. I suppose I was like a mythical creature to him. Mentioned, but never seen..._

_Max came back with the drinks. I smiled at him as he handed my drink over, which turned out to be wine. I looked at my watch. It was one o'clock in the afternoon. Wow. Happy Hour really does start early at the Cunninghams...I looked at what Max was drinking and it looked like he was drinking either Whisky or Scotch...Jesus...Must be for the shock...He had necked half of it down by the time we'd started talking..._

"So..." nodded Max, like a possessed puppet. 

"So..." I replied back, like an idiot.

"Four years, huh?" said Max, his lips pursed.

"Yeah..." I nodded. "Long time, I know..."

"So...You have...a daughter?" asked Max, like he was asking for a train ticket.

I nodded. "I guess so."

_I quickly began to drink my wine. Hell, I was gonna need it..._

Max looked over to where Raegan was playing. "How old is she?"

"Four." I answered quickly.

"I see..." said Max, "She's...very pretty..."

"Thank-you..." I smiled back at him. 

"...Where have you been?" asked Max, his face deadly serious.

_Bugger. Now we get down to the serious questions._

"Umm...well, I went and stayed with a friend in Bristol for a while..." I said, shakily, "And after I had Raegan, I went with a friend to the States..."

"Where did you go?" replied Max, as if I had been on a casual holiday.

"Los Angeles..." I said, hastily.

Max nodded. "Have you just got back from there?" 

"Yeah. Flight got in this morning. Took the Red Eye..." I said, nodding.

_I studied Max's face. It was a mixture of confusion, bewilderment and sadness. I so desperatly wanted to blurt out everything. Why I had runaway and all sorts of_

_secrets, but I just couldn't...It was harder than I thought. I think Max was still digesting the fact that I was alive..._

"God, Christy..." he sighed, "I...don't know what to say...Why...Why didn't you get in touch?"

"I did try, Max!" I protested, "I left you a letter when I left...and I looked you up two years ago, sent it to our old address thinking you were still there and I never heard back from you..."

_Which was true. I did contact them, but either I got our old address or it got lost in the post. I didn't try too hard though...I only sent two letters._

Max looked up at me. "You didn't leave a letter, Christy..."

_I look up at him and frown. I spent hours pouring my heart out into the letter I left for him and he never even found it!_

"I left you a letter the night I left..." I protest, looking at Max, hoping he'd remember.

Max shook his head. "I never found your letter..."

_I feel myself slump down. That letter was supposed to explain everything. And he didn't get it?_

"I sent you letters when I had Raegan and after that too...but I assumed you hated me...Did you not get them!" I ask, frantically.

Max looks at me with a vacant expression on his face. "Which address?" 

I racked my brain. "Our old one..."

Max looked up and smiled. "The old house?"

I nodded. "Yeah, what's so funny?"

Max let out a small laugh. "Oh, you don't know, do you? The old house got burnt down..."

I almost choked on my wine. "What!"

"It burnt down. Tom got hold of some fireworks and decided to have a display in the house..." Max sighed, but then broke out into a strange chuckle.

_Tom looked over at Max as he heard his name and then went back to showing Roo his toys. They were getting on alright..._

_I looked at Max and I didn't know what to say. Our old house gone? God, I was way behind..._

"Was...anyone hurt? Was the house badly damaged?" I said, grilling Max with questions.

Max shook his head. "No, not really...But Ben, you remember Ben, right? He broke his leg after saving Tom from the house...but he was alright..."

"God..." I replied, flabbergasted. 

_I looked around the room and saw some photographs. I saw one of Dad and Helen on their wedding day and inside, my stomach knotted. It was weird seeing Dad's_

_face again. I never took a picture of him with me when I went away...I then noticed another picture, of Max in a suit, next to a bride - a blonde bride with blue eyes,_

_smiling happily. I turned back to face Max and I looked down at his hands. He wasn't wearing a wedding ring. I was about to say something when the door opened..._

_and none other than Steph Dean walked in..._

"Babycakes? I'm home!" smiled Steph, as she walked through the door, in a pair of gold hot pants and a sparkly pink top.

_Oh. My. God. Steph? My friend Steph? I looked over at Max and he'd gone red. He's with Steph? Steph Dean! What about the women in the photo?_

_Was he having an affair? Was he a Mormon and he had a wife AND a girlfriend! Steph looked at me and then she gave an almighty squeal, that only dogs could hear..._

"Christy! Noooo!..." Steph said, as if someone had told her the sky was pink, instead of blue. "Are you really Christy?"

Max and I stood up. "Hi Steph..." I said smiling, nervously.

Steph squealed again and flapped her arms "Oh my god!"

_She ran up to me and she squeezed me so tight, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was still mesmerised by her sequins..._

"Where have you _been_?" asked Steph, amazed, as she looked at me. 

"L.A..." I squeaked.

"Noooo!" said Steph again and she looked at Max. "Look, Max, it's your sister!"

"I didn't realise that Max was your...babycakes?" I smiled and looked at Max. Max had gone purple with embarrassment.

"Awww..." said Steph and she walked over to Max and put her hands around his waist. "That is so sweet that he told you our pet names..."

"Yes...honeybunny..." smiled Max, uneasily and Steph hugged him.

_Inside I was cracking up. This was pure gold. Babycakes and Honeybunny. I tried to hide my laughter, but Max had cottoned on and I could see that he wanted to kill me for bringing up his pet name..._

Steph smiled and shook her head. "My god!...You look so different! So much prettier!"

I smiled at Steph. "Thanks! You look great too!" 

"And they look so natural, don't they, Max?" said Steph, looking at Max.

_Max and I looked at Steph, puzzled. I looked down at myself and started to feel self-conscience about my appearance...I was wearing black leggings, red long top and black ballet flats...What was Steph on about?_

"Errm...What do?" asked Max, puzzled.

"Duh! Her breasts!" said Steph, rolling her eyes. "What surgeon did you use? God, I remember you never used to have any at all and you still shopped in the kiddie section for bras when you were sixteen..."

_Now it was my turn to go red...Max looked down at my chest subconsciously and his eyes remained there. I glared at Max and he stopped staring..._

_Steph turned her attention towards Tom and she had clocked Roo. She looked confused and she looked up at Max._

"Max? Where's the little girl come from?" whispered Steph.

"Me!" I said, like a daft loon. "Her name is Raegan, but you can call her Roo..."

_Raegan looked up and she saw Steph. Steph stared at her as if she were a magic pixie from the Land of Make Believe. Steph walked up to Raegan slowly and crouched down to her height._

"Hello...Roo..." said Steph, very slowly. "My...name...is...Steph..."

_Raegan stared at Steph, bemused. She held out her hand and Steph gingerly shook it._

"Hello...Ste-ff..." giggled Raegan. "I'm Roo. I'm four." And she proudly held out four fingers.

Tom stood next to her and he looked up at Max. "Am I her Uncle?"

_I stared at Tom and Raegan. They could pass off as brother and sister. The thought of Tom being an Uncle to Raegan scared me. They were just kids. The word 'Uncle' reminds me of a balding, fat man who would grope you and get drunk at family parties..._

"Yes, Tom..." smiled Max, "I suppose you are..."

"Right, we have so got to throw a party for you!" said Steph, excited. 

"Oh no, don't, I don't want a fuss..." I pleaded. 

"Don't be silly!" said Steph, "It'll be fun, won't it, Max?"

"Yeah, why not..." smiled Max, "You could see the new Dog and get to see everyone again..."

I looked at Max, confused. "The _new_Dog?"

"I'll tell you later..." whispered Max, gravely.

"Well, not a big party then..." sighed Steph, "But, instead, we'll have a small gathering at the Dog! What d'you say?"

_I looked up at Steph's face. She looked as excited as a kid at Toys-R-Us..._

I nodded, shakily. "Umm...okay?" 

"Great!" cried Steph, hugging me again. "I'll draw up a guest list and plan it for...tonight?"

_I was feeling more tired than ever. I had serious jet-lag...All I wanted to do was to curl up in bed and sleep for 48 hours. If Steph threw a party, I'd be like the sad old pensioner, have one drink and end up falling asleep and snoring away while everyone has a good time..._

"Maybe not tonight..." I yawned. "I'm really tired from the flight and plus, I've got to sort out where to stay..."

"You could stay here, if you want..." suggested Max. 

_I looked around. It was hardly the Tardis..._

"Oh no, I can't do that to you...There's no room for us, is there?" I asked.

"'Course you can stay. You can sleep up with Raegan in the Mezzanine..." said Max, pointing to the higher level above him.

_I looked up at the Mezzanine and gulped. I guess Max had forgotten about my fear of heights...Oh well...We'll just have to not go to the toilet in the middle of the night..._

He came up towards me and put his hand on my shoulder and smiled. "I won't have no sister of mine sleeping in some shoddy B and B..."

_I smiled and it felt as if I had never left at all. I was like the Prodigal Son returning to the flock of sheep, or something like that..._

"Right..." said Max, rubbing his hands together. "Where's your stuff?"

"In my car..." I said, sleepily.

"I'll go get them..." announced Max, "Chuck us your keys..."

_I digged my hands into my pocket of my jacket and recoiled in horror as I couldn't find them. I patted my jacket and started to panick...Where the fuck were my bloody keys? Max stared at me as I started to panic..._

"What's wrong?" asked Max, "Can't find them?"

"Yeah..." I said, worried. "I can't remember where I put them..."

Raegan trotted over and jangled the keys up and down infront of Max and gave a cheeky smile. "I found them, Mummy..."

She handed the keys over to Max and he smiled at her and fluffed her hair up with his hand. 

"We'll talk later..." Max whispered to me.

_Oh no. I thought I was off the hook as well..._

_Don't get me wrong. I loved my family. But it all started to go wrong after Dawn died. I keep secrets. Lots of them. _

_But it's all in the past..._

_And if it's in the past, then surely, no-one will find out...Right?_

_This brings me back to my last ever week in Hollyoaks..._

_One of the worst days in my life..._

**Christina**

**2004**

_It's Thursday. Just your average Thursday. Nothing special about a Thursday. It's an odd day. Not Friday, but not Monday. It's the extra day that people wish away in a vain hope to get to the weekend quicker. An unwanted day. It's like that irritating piece of parsley you get on top of your meal in restaurants. You don't ask for it, but poof! There it is..._

_I'm sitting in the bathroom, with the door locked, in my pyjamas. Max is downstairs, hovering about like a zombie, making cups of tea and pretending not to be hungover. Tom is at Mandy's. OB is in his room - hungover too, no doubt. So, I'm alone. And what am I doing? I'm doing a pregnancy test... And how am I feeling? I'm scared shitless. _

_I'm seventeen. Going out and having sex is all apart of the teen rebellion. It's what we do. Everyone does it. But now, it seems the joke is now officially on me. I'm late. And I don't mean one or two days late. I mean I'm nearly two months late. And here I am, with a smuggled pregnancy test in the bathroom, staring at it, like it's a bomb that's going to go off in ten seconds. And it could potentially be. A life bomb that could ruin my life forever._

_I feel like the pregnancy test is taunting me. I feel judged and ashamed just to even have it in the house - like I've put up a Swastika flag in my room. When I bought it, the cashier at Boots didn't bat an eyelid, while I dropped my money on the floor because my hands couldn't stop shaking. She'd probably seen it all before. _

_But now I feel even more alone than ever and I don't know what to do..._

_Who do I turn to? I have four potential choices:_

_1) Max_

_2) Mandy_

_3) My sisters_

_4) Mum_

_1) I can't tell Max. This will completely bugger up his anger management course. Max will first strangle me, then demand who the father is and then hunt him and skin him alive. For all Max knows, he still thinks I'm a virgin. _

_2) Mandy, well, would probably be easier, but then again, I know the judgmental looks she gives me anyway and this is just more ammo for her to use against me. And plus, she's being weird lately and knowing what Mandy is like, she'll be frog-marching me back to Max and making me tell Max and everyone and making me feel worse than I already do..._

_3) My sisters. Well, I have no idea where Jude is. Probably sunning herself on some beach with Dawn's passport. And Cindy? Well, I could call her all the way in Spain, but then I can't remember where I wrote down her number...I could send her a letter, but knowing the Spanish postal system, if I am pregnant, then I would have had the baby by the time the reply would come back..._

_4) Mum? Hell, no. I'm barely on speaking terms with her because I refused to go and live with her. And after Cindy's secret pregnancy fiasco, she'd send me straight down to the abortion clinic without fail. I don't think she wants to be a grandmother again just yet. She's still reeling about Holly and that was years ago. That's the thing with Mum. She has the memory of an elephant. If I'm pregnant, she'll never let me live it down..._

_Max is probably more of a better bet...But most of all, I can't tell him because this will be too much for him to bear. After...well...after Dad and Helen..._

_I miss Dad._

_I wish I could ask him for advice..._

_But I can't. And that's the cruelest thing of all. When I need him most, he's gone. I used to complain about him always poking his nose into things and now, I just want him to do that. I know he'd shout, scream about becoming a grandad for the ump-teenth time and then be disappointed, but at least he'd know what to do. I'd even talk to Helen if she were here right now..._

_I'm gonna cry in a minute. I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Every time I think about Dad, I feel like I'm being stabbed in the gut with a knife and I can feel the raw pain of it all over again..._

_Fuck it, I'll take the test. I'm never gonna know unless I pee on that damn stick and wait three terrifying minutes. _

_Okay, so, just look at the directions on the back of the box...Fairly simple..._

_I open it up and it all comes tumbling out. Instructions, a holder for the pregnancy test (because the people at Clearblue are so nice and considerate...) and the evil white stick. And why white? To remind you of the fact that you are no longer a virgin if you are taking the test? (and god knows why someone who's never had sex would take a pregnancy test, because that's just sad...) To guilt trip you into making you regret the choices you've made? Well, I don't need some stupid stick doing that for me when I already feel like that, thank-you very much... I'd say make the colour change. So, if it's negative, it should turn into rainbow colours to celebrate the fact that you are not going to blow up like a beach ball for nine months and go through the pain of labour. And if it's positive...then it should be black. The blackest black there is. To mourn the fact that the next eighteen years of your life are going to be dominated by a small creature that cries and leaks...You can tell I'm really maternal, can't you?_

_I'm holding the stick now. It's blank. Like my mind. So, I'll just pee on it...Eugh. How disgusting..._

_What am I gonna do? I can't stomach the thought of going through an abortion or even think about keeping the baby. I can look after a baby - I proved it by looking after Tom a million and one times when he was a baby. But that was easy. I could hand him back to Helen or Dad. But this baby...will be mine. Totally dependant on me._

_And the father? Let's not even go into that. He's in no shape or form ready to handle a baby - despite what he may think. And he'll never stick by me anyway. He wants nothing to do with me. It was a mistake. Well, actually, several. But he's definitely going to notice if I do keep it...It's hard living in a small village - there's no corner you can run to escape..._

_So, now I place the stick on the holder and wait._

_Wait for news._

_Wait for the worst..._

_I look at my watch. It's gonna be a long wait..._

_...but then the door handle jiggles about and I hear a knock..._

_Oh holy mother of god..._

_"Who's in there?" groans Max, knocking at the door._

_Oh holy hell! What do I do now! The pregnancy test wrappers and everything is all over the floor!..._

_"Me..." I manage to squeak out, looking at the stick. Nothing._

_"I need the bathroom..." mumbles Max._

_"I'm busy..." I shout back._

_"Please Christy, I'm literally going to throw up..." moans Max._

_I roll my eyes. "Then go and be sick somewhere else..."_

_"Please..." begs Max_

_"No, Max! I'm in the bath!" I lie, my eyes fixed on the stick. _

_"Fine..." sighs Max and I hear him walk off. I let out a sigh of relief..._

_Then I look at the stick. It's changed. I breathe and I turn it over, ever so slowly..._

_And then I see it. Clear as day..._

_Pregnant._

_And then, I break down and sob, big fat tears into the black and white tiled-floor, praying for the ground to swallow me up and make me disappear forever..._

**Present Day**

**Christy**

_I'm still at Max's flat. It's turned to darkness now, whereas in LA, it'd still be sunny. I feel exhausted and lord knows how I look. Raegan is asleep, up in the Mezzanine, having giving up the fight to stay awake. Max is in the kitchen, cooking something strange and Steph has gone home, to ''plan my party''. Tom is playing on the Wii, his eyes glued as he tries desperately on his fifth attempt to beat the Wii at Tennis..._

_So, here I am. Sitting at the table, waiting for Max to serve up his dish which he has been slaving over for hours._

"I hope you like spaghetti bolognese..." says Max, stirring the contents of a saucepan.

"Yay! Spaghetti!" cheers Tom, his eyes still firmly fixated to the TV.

"Sound lovely..." I smile. God, I've missed British cooking. The smell of it, the taste of it...Just like being home again...

"How's Mandy and Tony?" I ask, nonchalantly, sipping my drink.

_Max stops stirring his saucepan and even Tom stops playing on the Wii. I feel like every question I ask is the equivalent to saying I'm a masochist who eats human flesh..._

_Max and Tom give each other a look._

"Mandy lives down south..." says Tom, breezily. "With Mark and Baby Ella..."

_I feel flabbergasted. Mandy and Tony were like Posh and Becks over Hollyoaks. Except Tony more resembled Worzel Gummidge than David Beckham..._

"Oh...right..." I nod and I take a hefty gulp of my drink. This was too much information to process in on evening...

_Max comes back to the table, with pasta in hand and smiles proudly of his dish. Tom races over to the table and sits down on the chair next to me._

_He eagerly picks up his knife and fork and holds them up, waiting to be served. I look down at the spaghetti. It's burnt. I pretend not to notice and give Max a smile. _

_I guess he got his cooking gene off Mum..._

"Eat up..." smiles Max, "I bet you're starving..."

I twiddle the congealed hard spaghetti with my fork. "Very..."

_I take a bite of it and try not to grimace. I've had worse food, but then again, I've had so much better. I look at Tom. He's not hiding his face of disgust. Even Max is chewing on his food very slowly. We all sit in silence and stare at the food in front of us and inside, I try and fight the urge to laugh. _

"It tastes like hamster food..." says Tom, wrinkling his nose.

_I burst out laughing and I can see Max feign a hurt expression, but then slowly, I see the sides of his mouth curl up into a smile and he begins laughing too. _

_I'm laughing so much, I can feel tears roll down my cheeks...It's not even that funny, but hell, I haven't laughed in ages...Tom is laughing too._

"Alright, so it's not Gordon Ramsey style..." says Max, trying to stop laughing. "It could catch on, you know. There could be a real market for...barbequed spag bol..."

"After four years, you still cannot cook..." I smile back at Max. 

"He burns chips..." says Tom, looking at Max and smiling.

"Oi! You monkey..." smiles Max, "You can whistle the next time you ask for chips!"

I shake my head. "I remember the diet we lived on..." 

"Popcorn and ketchup!" smiles Max, proudly.

"Eugh!" says Tom, sticking his tongue out.

I smile at Tom. "You used to love it! You polished off a whole bottle of ketchup in one night!" 

"And ice-cream!" adds Max.

"I'm surprised none of us went down with scurvy..." I say, laughing.

_Suddenly, we all heard the lock turn and the door open. I look at the door and I see OB walk in, with a girl laughing by his side. OB had changed too. Like Max, finally, he decided to get rid of his bad barnett and he looked thinner - less chubby. The girl next to him...jesus christ, she's gorgeous. How inferior do I feel? Very. Me, 21, Single mother and temp. Her, vivacious, curly-haired brunette in high heels. My high heels? Gone. Replaced by trainers. _

_OB has clocked me now and has stopped walking, like he's seen a ghost. I stare back at him and give him a really nervous smile and wave, like an idiot. The girl next to him is now getting a hug off Tom, but she's looking at me as if to secretly ask what I was doing on her territory..._

_Max is now looking sheepish as if he's smuggled in a terrorist..._

"Hi..." I mumble, like a scared school-kid.

_Boy, this night was gonna be even longer than I thought..._

**End of Chapter 2**

**A/N: Hi! I really do apologise for not updating this in a very long while! I never really intended on finishing it, but I randomly got the urge to write this chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought (I know the writings terrible! - a late night jobbie) I might continue it if people like it! xxx**


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